Episode 22: The Hibernians Keep the Parade Afloat

Bishop Gilmour wrangled continuously with Irish community leaders for more than a decade. The bishop had managed to enforce centralized planning for the city's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. But enthusiasm for his planning process was waning. The Ancient Order of Hibernians bridged the gap between the Catholic Central Association and the secular organizations that Bishop Gilmour shunned. The Hibernians were a national organization, founded in New York in 1836 to protect Irish Catholics against discrimination. Although they were associated in the public mind with the labor agitators, the Molly Maguires, they managed to fly under the bishop's radar in Cleveland. They were able to leverage their role as mediators to maintain Cleveland's parade tradition.